Arizona State Wrestling started off session four of the NCAA Championships with four wrestlers in the semifinals: No. 8 Richard Figueroa, No. 2 Kyle Parco, No. 2 Jacori Teemer and No. 4 Cohlton Schultz.
Figueroa and Teemer both advance to their respective final matches, marking their first ever championship appearances. This also marked the first time since 2011 that the Sun Devils would have two wrestlers in the finals. Anthony Robles and Bubba Jenkins both took home a championship that year.
“I gotta get the job done. This is what I came here to do, it’s what I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid, so that’s the final thing I gotta do. Win a National Championship,” said Jacori Teemer.
Teemer is four time All-American, his best finish was 4th place in 2021.
“My goal is to dominate and win,” said Richard Figueroa.
Both Figueroa and Teemer will look to achieve their goals this weekend, following in Robles and Jenkin’s footsteps.
Semifinal results:
125 lbs
No. 8 Richard Figueroa defeated No. 12 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) by decision 4-3.
149 lbs
No. 6 Austin Gomez (Michigan) upsets No. 2 Kyle Parco (ASU) by decision 11-7.
157 lbs
No. 2 Jacori Teemer defeats No. 6 Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) by major decision 12-2. Cardenas was a familiar foe for Teemer as he faced him in the Pac-12 Championships, defeating him by decision 5-4.
HWT
No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) defeats No. 4 Cohlton Schultz by decision 8-1. The match started off fast for Kerkvliet as he had a quick takedown on Schultz and he seemed to never let up. Schultz, a four-time All-American, was never able to recover only getting one escape point, an uncharacteristic match.
For Parco and Schultz they are now in the consolation semifinals, a win will give them third place but a loss will drop them to a possible fifth place.
In the team standings, the Sun Devils are in the mix for a chance to bring back hardware on the team side of the tournament. ASU is tied for fourth place with Iowa State at 59.5 team points.
There is potential for ASU to move up with wins tomorrow from the four, but the overall title is out of reach with Penn State currently leading by 83.5 points. The highest place the Sun Devils could reach is 2nd, with Michigan currently leading only by five points.
Finals Preview
125 lbs
No. 8 Richard Figueroa will face off against No. 3 Drake Ayala (Iowa). The two have never meet at the collegiate level but have met in high school.
157 lbs
No. 2 Jacori Teemer will face off against No. 1 Levi Haines (Penn State). Teemer and Haines also have not faced off in the collegiate level, both looking for their first titles.
The finals matches will start off at 5 p.m. AZT with Richard Figueroa leading it off for the Sun Devils.
Consolation matches
149 lbs No. 2 Kyle Parco vs No. 5 Ty Watters (WVU).
HWT No. 4 Cohlton Schultz vs No. 6 Zach Elam (Missouri).
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